Eyecandy

[Tilt]

FYI the material used in most canopies of Russian manufacture aged rapidly (under sunlight) to render a slightly yellow tint. (excepting the armoured glass).

Rain drop effects seem very cool............. clouds may actually work as evasive features with such as this enabled.  Do the droplets travel across the canopy?

AH1 used to have a sort of heavy cloud shadow in one of its encarnations..............

[Denholm]

If we receive new clouds with the possibility of fog banks swallowing bases, does that mean we get to start flying instrument approaches?

[Kazaa]

Yes Tilt, the rain drops are indeed animated.

[Knite]

I'm mostly with you Kazaa.

+1 for SOME sort of glass canopy. Would prefer to have possibility of minor reflections and slight glass "tint". You can even tell you're looking out a car windshield due to dirt and stuff IRl.

+1 for improvement in clouds. Current clouds aren't bad looking at all until you get in close. Then it ain't so great. Would prefer volumetric clouds.

Also? Contrails, change in tracer glow and trails (they seem really big to me for some reason), improved fire and smoke. Shadowing and self-shadowing for objects (such as the Aircraft carrier, Hangars, Tower, etc).

And absolutely more difference between field type graphics. I'd love if small fields were little dirt runways, and large ones were the full paved ones we have now.
Oh, and USRanger's ports =)

Also, one last thing... bump mapping and environment mapping for aircraft and vehicles ;-). lol

This game actually has some very good graphics in it, but it seems like there's so many constricting decisions put on them, that it's really holding the game back from a visual standpoint. Some of the screens I've seen of terrains being made are amazing (the coral and "battleship alley" on one of Ranger's maps are GORGEOUS). I understand why some of those decisions have been made, but doesn't mean I can't wish for them to be relaxed one day.  

[mechanic]

Anyone check orange arena today?

Nice thick carpet of medium alt cloud going on 

[Plazus]

One solution is to have pretty clouds on high end systems and poorer quality clouds for lower end systems that block out the exact same sections of sky.  Getting them exactly the same might be a challenge, I don't know.

Good point. Perhaps there can be a feature in the terrain editor to where the clouds are specifically tailored to the terrain? The cloud position would be fixed (and obscure surroundings), so as to have a tactical advantage during evasive manuevers and such. Since they would be fixed positions, everyone will see the same cloud in the same location at the same time. Therefore no need to implement a "server" controlled placement of clouds. Only downside is that clouds dont move or shift from place to place.

Now the real challenge is, how do we make clouds that are scaleable to low end and high end computers? While providing equal tactical significance that is. Would like to hear HTC's opinion on this subject.

[715]

WoP?

[Kazaa]

WoP?

Wings of Prey.

[USRanger]

Good point. Perhaps there can be a feature in the terrain editor to where the clouds are specifically tailored to the terrain? The cloud position would be fixed (and obscure surroundings), so as to have a tactical advantage during evasive manuevers and such. Since they would be fixed positions, everyone will see the same cloud in the same location at the same time. Therefore no need to implement a "server" controlled placement of clouds. Only downside is that clouds dont move or shift from place to place.

Now the real challenge is, how do we make clouds that are scalable to low end and high end computers? While providing equal tactical significance that is. Would like to hear HTC's opinion on this subject.

Actually, the cloud formations are built into the terrain using the Cloud Editor, which gives you a .awa(weather) file that you place into your terrain files prior to building the terrain into its final .res form.  This gives the terrain a default cloud setup designed by the terrain maker.  One cool thing that CMs can do (or any player flying offline) is to add a new terrainx.awa file inside your AHII/AHTERR folder and it will override the default .awa file, so you can have new cloud formations & colors.  Scenario CMs use this tool to make the skies look different for different events.

Thanks for the compliments Knite.  I try.

[kingcobradude]

If we receive new clouds with the possibility of fog banks swallowing bases, does that mean we get to start flying instrument approaches?

yep. e6b calculations and a stopwatch we would just need a more acurate distance calculator

[gyrene81]

yep. e6b calculations and a stopwatch we would just need a more acurate distance calculator

So when you pull up your clipboard to view the E6B you couldn't see your orientation to a location on the map? I'm guessing the clouds would be too thick to read your map... 

[VonMessa]

yep. e6b calculations and a stopwatch we would just need a more acurate distance calculator

How about VOR's, too.

Perhaps a Nav computer?

or how about

Get in yer' plane, merge with someone, and duke it out instead of trying to hide from everyone?

[Yossarian]

How about VOR's, too.

ILS would be nice.  I'm not asking for autoland, just for something to allow my B-25 to do a nice and elegant landing

[gyrene81]

ILS would be nice.  I'm not asking for autoland, just for something to allow my B-25 to do a nice and elegant landing

That can be done with your eyes closed...

[kingcobradude]

How about VOR's, too.

Perhaps a Nav computer?

or how about

Get in yer' plane, merge with someone, and duke it out instead of trying to hide from everyone?

if only that worked with buffs